Friction drive arrangements sometimes include coil compression springs which are mounted within cylindrical spring receptacles provided in a reaction plate of the arrangement and have ends which bear directly on a stator disc of the disc clutch or brake. One current design of such an assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,500,591 issued Aug. 6, 2013 and has the drawbacks of the springs causing wear of the engaged stator disc and of the springs tending to fall out of spring receptacles of the reaction plate during assembly (currently grease or petroleum jelly is used to hold the springs in the receptacles).
Thus, what is needed is a disc clutch or brake assembly of the type described which does not have the above-noted drawbacks